The Life of a Hero, Pokemon Master
by The-Aradan
Summary: A man is not a man until he fulfils his destiny. Follow Darren Diamond as he travels across the globe to discover what it means to be a Pokemon Master.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Introduction:

Excerpt taken from Darren Diamond's Journal

This is the tale of my life. I have been through everything a person can possibly imagine. I have seen creations and destructions of many nations and pokemon. Although my life's story began to hit a streak of popularity when I was thirty, my adventure began when I was seven years old.

I had long brown hair when I was seven. I can still remember my mom telling me that I should cut it so that it would match my blue eyes, but I wanted to look like my friend Lance. I was a silly child. I used to take long walks in the mountains because we didn't have television reception where we lived. Because of this I was very fit, and could beat up on the ten year olds because of my stature.

Growing up in the town of Blackthorn, I knew the legend of the many elusive dragon pokemon that lived in the lakes around us as well as everyone in the city. My best friend Lance and I used to hike up a part of Mount Silver that had a waterfall on it that was just north of Blackthorn almost every day because he swore that he saw a dragon in the lake above the waterfall. Lance was my best friend ever. He truly was a noble trainer.

After about six months of hiking, he devised a plan to capture this elusive dragon, for there was an unseen bond between the two, and he seemed possessed by the dragons' very existence. He told me that he must be left alone to capture it, so I left him alone overnight.

That night I sat in bed awake. I could not fall asleep. I kept worrying about Lance sitting on top of the mountain all alone. I wondered what he was doing and if he was going to be alright. Because I was seven, I didn't worry for too long as sleep slowly took me.

Before the sun came up that next morning, I was awake. I snuck past my parent's room, ate a quick breakfast, packed some food for Lance, and hurried to the top of the mountain.

When I arrived I saw the biggest smile on Lance's face as he showed me one of the brand new pokeballs his dad had given him. He threw it in the air and out popped a small, worm-like creature, about five feet long and as blue as a summer sky. It had glossy black eyes that made a person feel happy just looking in them. It swam in the water, but never farther than 5 feet away from Lance.

Lance stared at the creature with his mouth shut. It was evident that he deeply loved his newly captured friend. He then broke the silence by saying, "He's such a small dragon, and I'll call him Dratini." And so my friend Lance became the first known person to have captured a Dratini.

For a few minutes we just stared at the beautiful dragon, its silky scales and smooth features made it seem to glow. This glow made me want to touch it, to caress it, and to love it, but as I stepped into the lake I slipped and fell into the water. Struggling and gasping for breath, I tried swimming back to shore, but a strong current had me in its grasp. Even though I was in great shape, I was completely at the mercy of the raging water. It wasn't until I saw what was causing the current that I had any feelings of panic. An enormous waterfall loomed before me, pulling me towards it.

I looked towards the waterfall and knew that my life was going to be over in a matter of seconds. My mind froze and I stopped paddling. It dawned on me that I was going to die. No more walks in the forest, no more of mom's fresh baking, no more fun. As I was flung over the edge I saw the jagged rocks below me. They looked like black thorns, and they just so happened to be the same rocks that my hometown was named after. I shut my eyes. I suddenly felt the feeling of becoming weightless, because I was falling at the exact same speed as the water. For one brief moment I had absolute peace. I cringed, waiting for my body to impact at high speed into the jagged rocks.

I waited and waited for the crushing blow of the rocks but it didn't come. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in what looked like a pink bubble of psychic energy. I had a neighbor that had a Kadabra that could make energy bubbles like this. I was but a foot from the pointy rocks. I let out an enormous sigh of relief. Then, the bubble unexpectedly shot upwards like a rocket. I watched my body fly upwards through the water that was falling down, but I did not get wet. When I was above the falls I could see Lance looking up at me, dumbstruck. The bubble I was in floated down beside him and melted away into thin air, and I landed on my butt on the ground with a thud.

It was then that I saw my rescuer. I looked into the sky and saw the legendary Mew, a small pink pokemon that flew without wings. It apparently held its frame up in the air with its psychic powers. Mew flew around Lance and me and seemed quite pleased with what he had done. It giggled as it somersaulted through the air as if it didn't have a care in the world. I watched the little pokemon in awe.

After about a minute of watching the little display of affection, Mew turned and began to leave, but before it did, I yelled, "Thank you, Mew! I'll never forget you!"  
Mew laughed once again and then flew away. That was my first encounter with a legendary pokemon. I didn't know it then, but it was not to be the last time I would se one. This experience inspired me to become a trainer, that maybe one day in the future I would see my legendary friend again.

My training began on my eleventh birthday, the age that most children in my village were looked upon as adults. My father, who was a world renowned trainer himself, presented me with my very own dragon pokemon, a small Bagon. It was custom in Blackthorn for the father of a trainer to give their child a dragon as they came of age. I was so excited that I almost left the house without saying goodbye to my parents. Through the years, Bagon and I became the best of friends, and through the wins and the losses we learned to love each other deeply.

On the day that I left my home, Lance and I went our separate ways. We met at the southern gate of Blackthorn and Lance said, "When we are both famous one day we are going to have to battle sometime." I nodded, for I couldn't find any words leaving my best friend. He smiled and then headed north to the icy caves for endurance training with his dragons. I headed south, not knowing what I was to expect.

Lance went on to become the most powerful dragon trainer in the world. I still read about his accomplishments in newspapers and see him on the covers of magazines. I went on to master the art of battling; but I followed this path out of the spotlight unlike Lance. We had battled each other over the years, always in secret, underground arenas. Sometimes he'd win, sometimes I'd win, but no matter the outcome we were still great friends, but after we separated it had always felt as if there was a wall between us.

My pokemon grew quite well over the years. After long and careful training, my little Bagon became a full fledged Salamence, who quite enjoyed flying and didn't mind my frequent world vacations. I felt that I loved him better than my own parents because I was with him more. I mostly talked to my parents because I thought it was kind to them, and now I wish I had spoken with them longer.

When I was a beginning trainer I caught just four other pokemon and could never give them up for the world. I just didn't like the feeling of placing my pokemon in cold storage, never to be used again. I had captured a Ghastly once in Lavender Tower because I believed it to be haunted and proved it with this ghost. Through rigorous training he became a Gengar, very skilled in interdimensional workings.

Also, when I was twelve, I encountered a Ralts through the Ilex forest. It was very odd to see one in this part of the world, but it was not unheard of. Ralts grew very close to me, as was her nature, and over time she became a beautiful Gardevoir, one who protected me from all types of danger. It seemed to me that I had a very spiritual bond with Gardevoir throughout my years as a trainer.

I had also been frustrated one day when an elusive Goldeen would not consent to being caught by me. In this frustration I threw one of my pokeballs into the river. After I calmed down I got into the river and began searching for my pokeball. I found it amidst some rocks and fished it out. It felt slightly heavier than when I had thrown it and I wondered if I had in fact caught the Goldeen after all. I threw the ball into the air and to my surprise out popped a Magikarp. I was shocked but slightly disappointed. All I heard about Magikarp as that they were completely useless. However, out of pity I kept him, and one day he evolved into a splendid Gyarados.

And the last of all my pokemon that I had captured was a Pupitar. In fact, Pupitar was a relatively recent addition to my team, as I had only had her for about three years when my adventure began. There were some miners that were digging for gold in Mt. Silver. One day they had found her and assumed that she was an odd shaped rock, so they threw her aside in a pile of rubble. I just so happened to be watching the miners at the time and quickly went and saved her. She was grateful for my goodness and has been faithful to my team ever since.

Each of these pokemon has a deep and significant meaning to me. I have only had five pokemon throughout my entire life because I never trusted the pokemon teleportation system. I had heard a rumor of a person capturing an oddly colored Tarous and that when he checked his computer later for it, it was gone. I loved the pokemon that I had, so I was sure to keep them with me at all times.

I believe that I have now given you enough information on the story of my past life and I am sure that you are eager to read what else I have done with my life. I would like to tell you that I am not writing this to brag or to boast, but to preserve a record of truth that we might all grow closer together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: An Unrefusable Offer  
Blackthorn City, March 5, 6:30

DING! DONG! The doorbell rang loudly and echoed throughout my house. I sighed. I really should buy more furniture or put down carpet to stop all that echoing, I thought to myself. I was in the living room with my Pupitar. She did not look very healthy at the moment. Her eyes had glazed over and her shell had turned deep brown in color. I could hear heavy breathing coming through some of the holes in her shell and it sounded like it was hurting her to inhale. These were all signs of imminent evolution; she was getting too heavy for her shell. Soon it would crack open, and as you can probably imagine, I was very excited to have a Tyranitar come into the family.

It was a gloomy day outside. Dark rain clouds hung over Blackthorn, but they refused to release their rain. Even though it was dry, there was loud thunder coming from the skies. Any other day I would have a soon-to-be Tyranitar outside in the yard so that the house wouldn't suffer any damage, but little Pupitar was very nervous towards thunder and the dark.

I planned on ignoring the doorbell because I felt it was more important that I stay with my Pupitar. However, the doorbell kept ringing continuously. With a sigh of annoyance I hurried to answer it. However, if I had known the consequences of this simple action, I would have never opened up the door.

I opened the door to see a man standing patiently, as if he hadn't been ringing my doorbell like a maniac. He was dressed in a two-piece blue suit, a bizarre fashion that I have never seen in my days. It looked like a swimming suit, yet more stylish. There was a strange pattern of an A on the center of his chest. He also wore dark sunglasses and looked as calm as a sea before the storm. The man looked as if he had weathered many storms, and his face seemed to have been chiseled by the waves.

"Can I help you?" I asked in a voice that expressed my apprehension. I was straight forward and to the point so that I could get this conversation over as quickly as possible. The man just smiled at my reaction.

"Yes you can," the man in blue replied. "More than you can possibly imagine at the moment. May I come in?"

"Why? What are you selling?" I asked him. I hated door to door salesmen, and this guy was beginning to get on my nerves. For some reason I couldn't trust him. He looked familiar though; I couldn't place where I had seen him before.

The man kept his smile as perfect as ever. "I'm not selling anything. I was instructed to come here by your friend Lance, the dragon tamer.

At the mention of Lances name I immediately apologized and showed him into my home. Lance and I had promised not to make our friendship common knowledge to the public, so I thought the man in blue must have something very important to say.

The man was very friendly, commenting on the contents of my trophy room. However, I felt that it was a fake act he was putting on. He wanted something from me, but I could not tell what it was. When I brought him into the living room, he saw Pupitar and remarked, "Oh dear, he looks dreadfully sick. Are you taking care of him?"

"It's a 'her', for one, and obviously you have never studied Pupitars." I said to him in an intelligent sounding voice. "They get very sick before they evolve because their body is creating special enzymes that will break through the shell. Also, her bloodstream is filled with steroids that are dormant right now, but when her shell cracks they will grow very intense muscle mass. Her eyes are glazed because fluids are spreading over them, changing them to smaller, sharper eyes. She has been getting worse for the last two weeks, so it has to be very soon now. However, it still could be a week or more."

I sat down in my lazy boy chair and leaned forward. "She had better evolve sooner than later because this transition makes her very hungry and it's very expensive to keep her happy. The man nodded towards me and sat on the couch next to Pupitar. He leaned forward, took off his glasses, and looked me in the eyes.

Quietly he asked me, "What do you know about the cataclysm that happened in Hoenn ten years ago, Mr. Diamond? Regarding the cataclysm I mean."

Why is he asking me this? I thought to myself. I decided to play his game and I told him all that I knew, but I was going to sound like it wasn't that important. "Well, I know it had something to do with some idiotic gang that had upset the balance of nature or something by unleashing two ancient pokemon in Sootopolis. It must have been one of those crazy schemes by Team Rocket in another foolish attempt to take over the world." As I mentioned the idiotic gang he twitched ever so slightly, as if something I said had offended him. However, when I blamed the infamous Team Rocket, he relaxed.

I took no note of it. I thought that he might have a tick or something, so I continued explaining what I knew. "The two titans clashed and reaped destruction on the city of Sootopolis. I can still remember seeing freak thunderstorms and enormous heat waves on the news that night. I also know that there was a man who knew some ancient magic or something and he stopped the titans from completely destroying the earth. I don't know much more than that, because that was all that they showed on TV. Why do you care if I know anything about this?"

Pupitar was getting nervous. She hopped over to me with a groaning sound. She didn't like to move about, but she didn't like this new person more. Panting, she rested against my leg and went to sleep.

The man looked me in the eyes again, and I noticed that they were the bluest eyes I had ever seen. "We have found the resting place of the great Groudon, the ultimate ground pokemon which fought for dominance in the city of Sootopolis." It took a second before I grasped what he said, and when I finally understood him, I didn't believe him. "Groudon appears to be dormant; we have done numerous tests on it for about a year and can detect no signs of life at all. If we didn't know better we would assume that Groudon was just a hunk of rock. I have come all this way to ask you if you would be interested in seeing such a beast or the body of one anyway."

I thought about it, and the feelings of suspicion came back to me. I was tired of playing his game, so I asked him straight out. "Why me?" I asked "I don't even know your name; I don't think I have ever fought you, and I don't make myself known to many people."

"To tell you the truth," the man began, "we first went to Lance to ask him if he would like to see Groudon, but he said that he was to busy with the League starting up this summer. We tried for hours to convince him about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he again declined our offer. We were sorry that he couldn't come and asked him if there was anyone else that we could offer this exclusive opportunity to and he recommended you in his place."

I then realized something that he was saying. He kept repeating the word "we" instead of mentioning himself. He had to be part of some organization, which explained the crazy blue clothes that he was wearing.

"Pupi, Pupitar!" screeched Pupitar. She had woken up from her sleep and was shaking terribly. Then I heard a bloodcurdling snap emanate from her. I looked at her and saw an enormous crack running down the outside of her shell, right along the spine. Without even thinking, I grabbed Pupitar. I tried my hardest to lift her so that I could get her outside on the yard but she was too heavy.

"Help!" I yelled at the man in blue. I just finished paying off my house, and I didn't want it to be destroyed. He hurried and together we lifted her off the carpet and out the back door. I noticed immediately that it had started to rain a little. Once outside, we placed her in the center of the yard and stood back. The shell cracked twice more, one across the belly and another across the face. Each crack was terribly loud, and sounded like the very earth was opening up. Gradually, the shell lost all movement and fell to the ground, opening up, and the soft body on the inside began to take form.

At first the body looked like a small pulsating lump of flesh and bone, lying in the wake of its cracked shell. However, the body reached out for the shell and with loud snaps of teeth and rock began to devour it. This seemed to renew its strength, and it stood on its two newly formed hind legs, a powerful tail swishing behind them. The steroids kicked in then, and the muscles of the forming Tyranitar began to bulge all over her body. The skin began to thicken considerably and locked in place. The shell was packed with nutrients that had been accumulated for years, and were aiding Tyranitar in this process.

The rock-hard hide of Tyranitar then smoothed out and dulled in color, giving her a look of a boulder. Her face had formed into the shape that gives Tyranitar's an imitating look that makes weak pokemon flee. Last of all, her belly began to harden into a more blue colored stone which was useful in protecting her vital organs. I then beheld my Tyranitar for the first time.

The man in blue came up from behind me, gazing at Tyranitar. "You must be a powerful trainer, Mr. Diamond, to have trained a Pupitar so well. You have to take this job, not many other trainers are strong… I mean, as good as you."

I ignored him, and began speaking to my Tyranitar. "My, have you have grown. It seems as if only yesterday I was pulling you out of that old abandoned rock pile. Now you are probably strong enough to topple Mt. Silver."

"Roooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr!" Tyranitar bellowed and she stomped a foot, shaking the ground around me.

"Whoa! That enough excitement for today." I said as I held up a Great Ball, "We don't want the new house to be destroyed now, do we? Return!" A red beam of light shot out of the ball, absorbed the beast of rock for a moment, and then brought Tyranitar back inside of it. "That was very exciting." I said to the man in blue. "But not only do I get to deal with an ornery Tyranitar every day, but she is going to cost me a fortune to feed!" The man in blue did not seem to catch my sarcasm however. I sighed. One more ignorant fool in the world.

The man interrupted my thoughts, obviously in a hurry, "We will pay you one million Poke dollars for you to come and investigate, and I'll also give you this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ruby jewel, the same shape and size of a pokeball. The second that it was withdrawn, the rain that was falling immediately stopped. I couldn't tell, but it also felt to me like the weather got warmer. "This is a valuable item in Hoenn, known as the Red Orb. I thought you'd like to take it with you when you see Groudon." I don't know if it was the hypnotizing glow of the orb or its flawless shape, but there was something about it that made me have to accept this offer. It was as if the jewel was calling, persuading me to go.

"Alright," I said, "I'll go." I quickly took the Red Orb and stuffed it in my left pants pocket. It felt strangely warm against my leg. I looked at the blue suited man and asked with a smile, "What do I have to do?"

The man smiled. He had won; I was going to do what he asked of me. "You need to be in Sootopolis in two weeks. I have made the arrangements for you to take a plane from Goldenrod to Lilycove next Tuesday. When you arrive we will have a helicopter ready to take you into Sootopolis. Here is a list of instructions for you." He extended a hand holding a manila envelope.

"Well," I replied, using my hand to turn away his envelope, "I must ask you please scrap your plans because I prefer to plan my own traveling arrangements. I will be in Sootopolis by tomorrow, is that okay?"

The man looked surprised, but not doubtful. "Well, sure, if you think you can make it that fast. I'll let my contact in Sootopolis know that you are coming."

"I know I can make it by later tonight, I have the fastest flyer in all of Johto on my side." I reached to my belt and called upon a very old and weathered pokeball. I threw it into the air and said, "Salamence, come on out!" The small pokeball bounced twice on the ground, and out came the giant Salamence of mine. The large dragon reared up on his hind and stretched.

His body was extremely toned compared to other Salamences that I had come across over the years. His head was sharp and truly scary to anything that did not get a chance to get to know him. He was a kind old brute, mostly because he knew he did not need to prove anything, being as strong as he was. His large axe-shaped wings beat back and forth a few times to get adequate blood flow through them. He knew that we were going flying, and he was as excited as a dog who was about to go driving in the back of its owners truck.

"Well," the blue suited man said, "I'll leave you on your word that you can be there tomorrow. I have to go. I probably won't see you for a while. Meet my coworker in Sootopolis and she will help you with the protocol of getting through the security to see the legendary beast." He handed me a small business card with an "A" on the top and a person's name and address on the back.

As he was leaving I realized again that I still didn't know his name. I had to find out now; maybe it would remind me where I had seen him before. "And who are you exactly; you haven't told me what name you go by."

The man turned slowly, looking me in the eyes again. "My named Archie Mizu, at your service." I chuckled to myself as I realized that I was technically at his service, for a price of course. "I have to go catch a plane now; I'll hopefully see you later." He put a weird emphasis on the word "hopefully", but I didn't read too much into it.

After he left I went out to a shed in my backyard and pulled out an old leather harness that I had made custom for Salamence out of Taros hide. Although I usually would ride bareback, Sootopolis was very far away, so naturally I didn't want to fall asleep and roll off Salamence's back. After struggling to put it on, I finally made it fit. I went inside and grabbed some dried trail mix and a couple liters of water, stuffed them in an old backpack I had lying around, and locked the doors. After fastening my backpack, I walked up to my Salamence and stood in front of him.

Slowly, I lifted my right hand in the air. Salamence brought his head down and touched it with his nose, exhaling slightly. His breath smelled terrible, but I did not flinch. I then curved my arm and ran it down the blue scales of his neck. I could feel each individual one as I closed my eyes and concentrated on our secret ritual of friendship. Salamence rubbed his neck against my face ever so gently, and as I clutched both hands around his neck, he lifted me into the air. Slowly he let me down inside of the harness. I quickly strapped my legs down and reached up towards the front of the harness. There were no reigns because I guided Salamence by placing my hands on certain points of his neck.

I smiled. I think I can feel an adventure beginning, I thought and I yelled out loud, "Salamence! To Sootopolis!" With a roar, he leaped into the air by leaning back onto his hind legs and thrusting his wings downward. To me it seemed as if he pushed the very ground away from us. We headed north for fifteen seconds when we reached the cliffs north of Blackthorn, the place where I had seen the elusive Mew. After a few minutes of searching we found a thermal and rode it to as high as it would take us, which was about three miles. Once we peaked out, we began our long journey towards the small ocean city of Sootopolis.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Sootopolis  
Somewhere in the Hoenn Ocean, March 6, 1:30 A.M.

Darkness, broken only by tiny specks of light, was all that I could see for miles. It was a very cloudy evening, so only in places where the clouds broke for just a moment the stars would shine through. It was a calm night in this part of the world, but the night had cooled the air and so Salamence was flapping his wings a lot more often than usual. He was tired, but enjoying every moment that he had in the air.

_He must be completely worn out._ I thought as his breathing got heavier. If we didn't reach Sootopolis soon then I would land in the water and have my Gyarados ferry me into the city. However, according to the time that we had been in the air, I figured that we would be reaching Sootopolis within a few minutes.

I had taken a short nap on the way, and I felt a little refreshed. Yet, it was very hard to stay asleep while bumping up and down with every wing beat of a gigantic dragon. Mostly I spent my time just staring off into the darkness around me. It was very intriguing. Darkness lay all around, and I could barely see Salamences neck in front of me. Many trainers didn't fly with their pokemon anymore, because they thought flying in airplanes was more comfortable, but in my opinion flying bonded yourself with your pokemon. I was in the life of my Salamence's hands, and he was protecting me with all of his power.

Suddenly, the harness started shaking softly but firmly. I heard Salamence roar, which meant that Sootopolis was in his sight. I soon began to make preparations for landing by adjusting the harness tighter for the rough riding ahead. Some clouds had opened up right above us, and I could see a faint reflection in the ocean of the stars. The ocean was about a mile down. Even though I was strapped in tightly, I leaned forward and clutched Salamence's neck tighter.

After about five minutes Salamence dropped a little, a signal that Sootopolis was just below us. I tapped the base of his neck with my index finger, which was a sign for him to dive. Salamence extended his wings fully, slowing his speed greatly. When he had stalled completely, he pulled his wings down across his body and fell like a block of lead. Though I had been a little bit sleepy before, all tiredness left my eyes as we plummeted towards the city. I looked down across Salamence's neck toward the ocean and saw a cluster of lights sitting there like they didn't belong. Here was Sootopolis, the City of Origin.

Sootopolis had originally been an ancient holy city in which the few powerful trainers of the day would travel to. Based solely in the center of a dormant volcano, it was thought to be near impossible to enter because the slopes were almost vertical. A small village had been established in side of it, consisting of the toughest and most powerful trainers. However, when helicopters and other hovercraft were invented, it was colonized very quickly and now was a popular tourist destination. It also held some ancient ruins, the most popular was the famed Cave of Origin where it was rumored that life had began.

The lights jumped up to meet us as we fell towards them. The wind beat against me so furiously that my eyes started to water and lips began to expand. The air was rushing at me so fast that it felt as if someone were pressing a hand to my face. I tried to keep my eyes on the city to brace myself for the landing process.

One red building grew larger in particular as we headed for the ground. The "P" on it clearly distinguished it as a Pokemon Center, an international pokemon resting hospital and a five-star hotel. I only stayed at PokeCenters whenever I went on a trip, mostly because I always got annoyed staying at people's houses that I didn't know.

Our landing was imminent, but Salamence held his dive. We were so close I could see the individual on the buildings. At the last possible moment, Salamence expanded his wings at full force to bring us to an abrupt but soft landing. With a gentle thud we hit the ground.

I reached backwards and felt for a small leather latch that held my by body to my harness. With a small tug, I instantly became free of the harness. Slowly, I slid off of my Salamence's back. Once I was off he curled up into a ball and went to sleep immediately. I proceeded to remove the harness from him, carefully unbuckling the straps along his belly and neck. When it was completely off, I called him softly into his pokeball and attached it to my belt.

I folded up the harness and packed it away into a large compartment in my backpack. After a big yawn, I entered the Poke Center. The doors were a clear thick plastic that were rumored to be bulletproof, and they slid open as I approached them. It had been fifteen years since I had last come to Sootopolis, and the Pokecenter had been remodeled since then, having a larger lobby and an upgraded P.C. system in the wall. I approached the front desk where a rather large Blissey was sleeping. I checked my watch. 1:45 A.M. it flashed. I felt bad about waking up the Blissey, but my desire to have my pokemon healed and to sleep in an actual room inclined me to do so. I walked up to the Blissey and shook her gently.

"Excuse me," I asked. "Can you take my pokemon and heal them overnight?" I asked the sleepy pokemon. Blissey gave a yawn and took my belt with all five of my pokemon on it. She then waddled into the back room where the hospital was. She apparently didn't want to deal with me anymore, because after about thirty seconds a nurse with long blonde hair came out. She had obviously just woken up because she didn't have any make-up on, her hair wasn't combed, and she looked really sleepy.

She looked at me and faked a smile. Nurses were required by the hospital to always be kind to their guests. Over the years I had seen some nurses crack because of the act they had to put on to some stubborn people. However, I wanted to cause the least amount of stress as possible. I decided to make things short and to the point.

"Would you like a room?" She asked in a low, monotone voice. I could tell that she wanted this conversation to be as short as possible too.

"Yes please. I've been flying all night. All the way from Blackthorn City." I replied.

She looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Blackthorn, eh? We don't get many visitors from there. What are you here for?" She seemed mildly interested, but I felt that I had to keep the real reason that I was here a secret. I didn't think that she would have wanted to be reminded of the cataclysm that occurred ten years ago.

"I'm supposed to be meeting someone for business." I said. It was a small lie, and it pulled off its purpose. She lost whatever interest that she did have and she opened up a small drawer in her desk.

"Room 202," she said as she produced a key from the confines of the desk. "One of our best. Have a good night."

I took the key and gave her a quick thank you, then hustled up to my room. It was on the second floor, but it was easy because the escalators worked at night. The hallway was lit just enough that I could maneuver down it and find my room. Once I discovered it, I opened it with the key, turned around and locked the door behind me. I stretched and let my backpack fall on the floor. I was so tired that I climbed right into bed with my clothes on. I can't tell to this day, but I believe that I was asleep before my head actually hit the pillow.

The earth was shaking tremendously. I stood alone at the edge of a large cavern. Large rocks began to fall from the ceiling, plummeting to the ground. Every time one struck the floor, magma would seep up and gobble it up. I began to panic as red light began to flood the entire room with an eerie glow. The shaking of the ground knocked me to my feet. I beheld the spectacle whilst lying on my back. The earth seemed to be bent on destroying me.

Thoughts began racing through my head. I knew these were the last moments of my life. I was witnessing Hell as it reached up to snag another victim. Panic took control of my mind and I began to hyperventilate. I had to do something to save myself from this fire which would consume me.

I flipped over and started crawling away from the boiling magma as it began to fill the chamber. However, there was nothing but solid walls around me, and I was trapped. I heard a laugh somewhere in my head, and something impossible began to happen. The magma lifted from the floor and began to float in the air, as if being controlled by some psychic force. The magma began to expand and stretch to become large hands of bubbling liquid, and they clenched in the air. Suddenly, they rushed towards me with their fiery power. I raised my arm to protect myself.

Yet they didn't impact. I opened my eyes to see myself sitting upright in my hotel room with my arm across my face. I lowered my arm and saw that it was only a dream. As I got up and looked out the window, I thought more on what I had seen in my dream. It seemed to be too real to have just been my imagination. I had had many dreams in my lifetime and only a few had ever affected me like this.

Deep in thought, I looked at the sky. It was dawn, but the sun would not be seen until about eleven o'clock because of the height of the volcano. The slopes of the crater were covered in thick jungle. It was amazing that trees had found a way to survive on the slopes inside this volcano with limited light and water, but somehow they did it and flourished. I then looked down on the small city of Sootopolis. It looked different then I remembered, mostly because in fifteen years technology had increased drastically. Some of the older houses had been replaced by newer stone houses and the water level had increased slightly. The old dirt pathways had been replaced with a cobblestone sidewalk, and the entire place looked more modern rather than the old village it used to be. I stretched, taking in a huge breath as I did, and then I headed downstairs for breakfast.

The breakfast at Pokecenters were always vegetarian, and were also very simple. Although I would have rather had some bacon and eggs for my meal, I settled on a bowl of cereal and a piece of toast instead. The cereal was some Hoenn brand that I had never heard of before and it was a little tangy. A Chansey came up to me as I was eating and handed me a tray that had my belt and pokeballs on it. She held out a medical release sheet which I signed quickly, and then she went on her way. _What great service_ I thought as I strapped my belt back around my waist.

When breakfast was over I began to head to my destination. Before I left, I stopped at the front desk to drop off my key. The same nurse that gave me my room was sitting at the desk. She had her hair combed and make-up on, and she looked much happier. I handed her my room key.

"Did you enjoy your stay here at the Sootopolis pokecenter?" she asked with a smile on her face. She sounded a little more sincere, but I thought that she was still faking it.

"Very much so," I replied in a happy tone so that she wouldn't feel awkward. "Were my pokemon any hassle for you? I hope they weren't any trouble."

"Actually," she said, "Now that you mention that, your Gardevoir was a little jumpy this morning, but it was nothing serious." I smiled and said goodbye, but something about Gardevoir's behavior bothered me. As I was leaving I looked past the nurse and into the back room. I saw two Chanseys sitting in medical beds with blank, stupid looks on their faces. Large red burns were all over their bodies. I had seen those burns before and I knew that they weren't caused by a fire pokemon, but rather from a psychic one. Right then I knew that Gardevoir's little struggle must have been major mayhem for the medical staff.

I soon began to question the motives for Gardevoir's seemingly unprovoked attack on the doctors and nurses in the hospital. She was almost always passive. The only time she had ever been this anxious had been a day when I was almost tackled by a Ryhorn. Something was coming up, and I knew it had something to do with Archie's friend that I would find in Sootopolis.

The card that Archie gave me said 307 Golduck Lane. As I was trying to find it among the stairs and roads that were Sootopolis. I wondered why anyone would have wanted to live here in the first place, because the entire city was built on a slope and one false foot placement could send you falling down a flight of steep stairs. Nevertheless, I trudged on, hoping that I would find the address soon.

After climbing a few stairs I fortunately found Golduck lane, and after some confusion found house 307. It was a new model, made of very nice stone with two pillars holding the front of the house up. There were large windows on the front, and I wondered how often a Swellow would smack into one of those. I chuckled at the thought of sitting at dinner and then hearing a large smack on the window.

I knocked on the wooden door and heard footsteps behind rushing quickly. When it opened I was face to face with a tall woman with black hair and a blue suit that slightly resembled Archie's, having the large letter "A" on it. She looked like a Swellow herself with a sharp looking face. She reminded me of the teachers that you would seen in old movies; tall, ugly, and strict. I almost laughed at her appearance, but luckily I was able to hold it in.

"Darren Diamond, I presume?" she asked in a very proper but cold voice.

"That would be me," I said mimicking her proper style of voice. I was in a joking mood, but she didn't seem to share my feelings. Her eyes narrowed at me and she scowled. She was not like the nurse at the hospital and had no problem with letting me know that she was annoyed.

"I wasn't expecting you this early," she said, dropping her hands to her sides, "I need to change before we head down to the cave. Please come in." I entered the house and saw that it was just as elegant on the inside as it was on the outside. A large glass chandelier hung from the ceiling in the entryway and cast prismatic rainbows on the walls all around. The walls were completely blue, and the feeling of the house was like I had just stepped into the ocean.

"Wait here!" she said and she walked into a different room and out of sight. I obeyed and I sat down on a small bench that was by the door. I was still in awe at the immensity of the house. I looked through the door that the Swellow woman went through and saw an enormous mural on a wall. I got up and walked towards it, while minding my manners and stayed in the lobby. It was a large picture that must have taken a year to have painted, with hundreds of water pokemon all around. In the very center of the mural was a large whale-like pokemon that seemed to have red engravings on it. The pokemon looked familiar, but before I could examine it closer the Swellow woman came out of her room. She had changed out of her blue uniform with the "A" on it and was now dressed in an orange suit that had a cryptic "M" on it. It was made of a thick material that I couldn't recognize, and I thought to myself how strange this lady was. She quickly pushed past me and ordered me to follow.

"Wait! What's the hurry?" I asked her. She stopped and turned to me. I could sense that she was nervous about something, and I was determined to find out what it was.

"I, um, I'm just scared of the dark, that's all." she replied. Her eyes shifted and there was a slight hint of a crack in her voice. It was so easy to see that she was lying. I hated being lied to, and I was going to get to the bottom of why she was. I tried to imagine what could be so important about a dormant pokemon in a cave in this town that required her to lie to me, but to no avail. I decided that I would just follow her and learn for myself what was going to happen.

We walked up the treacherous stairs for about five minutes. At the very top there was a large, circular entrance to a cave. It seemed that the entrance was man-made, more like a crypt than a cave. A man wearing a similar orange suit was standing guard over the entrance. The woman I was with marched up to him and said, "We are here, now let us in." The man, obviously not wanting to cause any contention with this woman, stepped aside. There was a plastic covering on the entrance to the cave. The woman I was with picked up the plastic and lifted it up for me to crawl under it. She soon followed afterward.

The cave was darker than I imagined. I pulled out my keychain and turned on a small electric light that I had attached to it. Looking up, I could see thousands of Zubat clinging onto the ceiling of the cavern. Every once and I while I'd see a Golbat fluttering around the Zubat, they were painfully obvious to point out. The woman I was with touched a few buttons on her watch and it began to glow and lit up the entire cave. It was one of the newer versions of a P.D.A., but I preferred to stick with the older technologies. We began to descend into the cavern. It was like a gigantic spiral staircase, going down and down. We reached a large steel door at the bottom, and I was confused. _A door in a cave?_ I thought. The lady opened it with a great struggle and told me to step inside.

At first I was taken aback. I had an attack of Déjà vu as I saw the room that I had entered. It was exactly like the one in my dream, but it much greater detail. It was well lit with fluorescent lights that had been drilled into the ceiling of the cave. Another thing I noticed was a group of people were in the room, all dressed in orange. They looked up as I came in, but then turned back to their work. They seemed to be working on a large boulder about the size of a house in the middle of the room. There was one big difference between this cavern and my dream, however, and that was that I could see no magma.

Suddenly I heard the steel door slam behind me. I turned and tried to open it, but it was stuck fast. _Two can play at this game,_ I thought as I felt for a certain pokeball on my belt. Throwing it into the air, I called my Tyranitar out and she gave a loud roar. The people over by the rock covered their ears.

I said, "Tear down thi-" but I was cut off. I felt my left pant pocket get really heavy. I reached for it and pulled out the Red Orb that Archie had given me just yesterday. It was being pulled towards the center of the room as if by some magnetic force. I held it back with all of my strength. All of a sudden, the pulling stopped. I sighed in relief. I thought I was safe, but all of sudden the strange orb began to glow very brightly and a red ray shot throughout the room. The people in red that were working on the rock started to panic and run towards me waving their hands. The ground started shaking and boulders began to fall from the ceiling. The lights that were on the ceiling immediately went out and the entire cavern was bathed in darkness.

I could hear the other people screaming, but I couldn't see them. The boulders that fell from the ceiling fell down and crashed into the floor, breaking it open to reveal a river of molten lava. The only light came from the magma, and I could barely make out the figures of the people trying to escape. All of sudden, they were bathed in light.

Then, I looked towards the center of the room where the light was coming from. It appeared to be coming from the large rock. Two holes had appeared at the top and were shooting out beams of red light. I gasped as I realized that those two holes were eyes. Eyes of the legendary beast Groudon.


End file.
